sign in sign up
<<
Home , Aurignacian, Azilian, Epigravettian, Gravettian, Jebel Irhoud, Kozarnika

Articles https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0753-6

An early arrival in southwestern

Miguel Cortés-Sánchez1,2, Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo 3,4*, María D. Simón-Vallejo1,2, Chris Stringer 5, María Carmen Lozano Francisco 2, Antonio García-Alix4,6, José L. Vera Peláez2, Carlos P. Odriozola1,2, José A. Riquelme-Cantal7, Rubén Parrilla Giráldez2, Adolfo Maestro González8, Naohiko Ohkouchi3 and Arturo Morales-Muñiz9

Westernmost Europe constitutes a key location in determining the timing of the replacement of by anatomi- cally modern (AMHs). In this study, the replacement of late industries by Aurignacian ones at the site of Bajondillo (Málaga, southern ) is reported. On the basis of Bayesian analyses, a total of 26 radiocarbon dates, including 17 new ones, show that replacement at Bajondillo took place in the millennia centring on ~45–43 calibrated thousand before the present (cal ka bp)— before the onset of Heinrich event 4 (~40.2–38.3 cal ka bp). These dates indicate that the arrival of AMHs at the southernmost tip of Iberia was essentially synchronous with that recorded in other regions of Europe, and significantly increases the areal expansion reached by early AMHs at that time. In agreement with dispersal sce- narios on other continents, such rapid expansion points to coastal corridors as favoured routes for early AMH. The new radio- carbon dates align Iberian chronologies with AMH dispersal patterns in .

he replacement of Middle Palaeolithic popu- attention. This is because it is associated with the putative extinction lations by anatomically modern humans (AMHs), which of Neanderthals, given that Aurignacian technocomplex elements Tin Europe are associated with Early Upper Palaeolithic have now been securely associated with AMHs1. (EUP) industries, constitutes a crucial and hotly debated issue in In comparing the early stages of the Aurignacian dispersal (Fig. 1) Palaeolithic studies1,2. This biocultural turnover has been addressed with subsequent transitions, two spatiotemporal anomalies emerge. from various standpoints, including interspecies competition either The first is recorded on the Italian Peninsula, where populations in isolation3 or combined with climate change4, environmental cri- manufacturing the Uluzzian (for some authors, a develop- ses and episodic events such as volcanic eruptions5. In addition, ment rooted in the Mousterian lithic tradition9) seemingly prevented given that biological evidence, whether or biomolecules, is the expansion of the early Aurignacian10. The second anomaly is transmitted through genetic processes whereas cultural materi- documented in mid-southern Iberia, where the Aurignacian expan- als are transmitted via learning processes, another issue is to what sion is postulated to have been delayed to the point of failure11. The extent the biological and cultural transitions are coupled with, or proposal that the Middle Palaeolithic technocomplex extended decoupled from, each other. to the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (Gorham’s Cave, : Great effort has been devoted to framing the spatiotemporal fea- ~32.5 calibrated thousand years before the present (cal ka bp11) has tures of Neanderthal replacement, as this may help to resolve the lent weight to the hypothesis that the EUP reached southern Iberia processes that triggered population and technological turnovers6. at a comparatively late date. This reinforced the validity of a particu- This includes determining any directionality of technological and lar version of the east-to-west wave-of-advance mode that set apart population changes that, according to genetic and archaeological the ‘Iberian South’ from the rest of the Peninsula12. data, become recurrent events in from the Late onwards, generally exhibiting an east to west trend. Results and discussion Mousterian technocomplex replacement by Aurignacian popula- To reliably pin down the Neanderthal–AMH transition in southern tions is postulated to be one such east-to-west population turn- Iberia, 17 new dates restricted to levels covering the transition of the over1. This same directionality is documented for the Mousterian to the Aurignacian at the site of Bajondillo in the Bay technocomplex that replaced the Aurignacian7, the genetically and of Málaga (southern Spain) (Fig. 1, Supplementary Figs. 1–3 and culturally documented – transition in western Supplementary Table 1) have been integrated with previous radio- Europe at the beginning of the Bölling–Alleröd interstadial8, and metric dates13, using a Bayesian approach. The Middle Palaeolithic replacements within the cultures of southern Europe. at Bajondillo lasts for ~120 kyr14, as represented by 6 archaeological Among European east–west population turnovers, the levels (that is, Bj/19–Bj/14) (Supplementary Fig. 1), the last of which Mousterian–Aurignacian transition has perhaps received the most features a Denticulate Mousterian (~50–46 cal ka bp)13 (Fig. 2).

1Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain. 2HUM-949 Research Group, Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain. 3Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and , Yokosuka, . 4Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-UGR, Armilla, Spain. 5Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK. 6Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain. 7Departamento de Geografía y Ciencias del Territorio, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain. 8Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, Madrid, Spain. 9Laboratorio de Arqueozooarqueología, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. *e-mail: [email protected]

Nature Ecology & Evolution | VOL 3 | FEBRUARY 2019 | 207–212 | www..com/natecolevol 207 Articles Nature Ecology & Evolution

N

14 Europe 49° N 19

>42 cal ka BP 17 20 <42 cal ka BP 15 Atlantic Ocean 16 13 18 11 12 42° N 10 22 9

Latitude 8 21

1 7 5 6 4 3 2 Bajondillo ODP-977A 25 Mediterranean Sea 35° N 24

23

0 250 500 750 1,000 26 km

7° W0°7° E 14° E 21° E Longitude

Fig. 1 | Selected archaeological sites in western Europe and . Map reconstruction with the coastline at 85 m below sea level, including elevations (contours every 500 m), ice and permafrost correspond to LGM, ~20 cal ka bp (white and blue outlined areas). Referenced archaeological sites in Europe and North Africa where EUP sites between 44 and 42 cal ka bp have been identified are labelled as follows: Bajondillo (this paper; 3), Romaní27 (9), Arbreda27 (10), Isturitz27 (11), Labeko27 (12), La Viña27 (13), Kent’s Cavern28 (14), Castanet27 (15), Pataud27 (16), Les Cottés27 (17), Riparo Mochi27 (18), Geißenklösterle30 (19), Fumane27 (20), Serino27 (21) and Peshtera/Kozarnika8 (22). Potential associated areas are shown in orange. EUP sites with ages <​42 cal ka bp in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa are labelled as follows: Pego do Diabo29 (1), Gorham’s Cave11 (2), Ventanas and Carigüela (this paper; 4), Antón12 (5), Mallaetes17 (6), Foradada16 (7) and La Boja12 (8). Potential associated areas are shown in yellow. The African sites Haua Fteah31 (23), Grotte des Pigeons32 () (24), Benzú33 (25) and Jebel Irhoud34 (26) are also included. See detailed references for each archaeological site in the Supplementary Information. Base map reproduced from ref. 46, Elsevier.

The typological features of the 13,399 lithics from this Middle to Proto-Aurignacian or Early Aurignacian technocomplexes. Palaeolithic package evidence the stasis of a Mousterian technologi- The earliest Aurignacian technocomplexes in western Europe, cal tradition dominated by scrapers, notches and denticulates lack- starting ≤​43 cal ka bp, have been traditionally classified as Proto- ing the operative schemes and maintenance items of the nuclei that Aurignacian (Mediterranean) or Early Aurignacian, which origi- typify Upper Palaeolithic technocomplexes13. Our new dates reveal nally appears in Central Europe but later reaches its westernmost that the major change in technology occurs at level Bj/13 (~43.0−​ regions1. To define Bj/13 as Proto- or Early Aurignacian is far 40.8 cal ka bp; Fig. 2 and Supplementary Table 1). The technological from straightforward. One reason for this is that the number of novelties of the 353-item assemblage from this level include from Bj/13 falls below the ≥​100 tools threshold required and bladelet cores (1.1%), end-scrapers and one borer or with for a statistically reliable assignment (Supplementary Table 2). continued retouch (see Supplementary chapter ‘Lithic industries’, In Iberia, this is a recurrent problem in sites covering the Middle Supplementary Table 2 and Supplementary Fig. 4 for a detailed Palaeolithic–Upper Palaeolithic transition. For Neanderthals from discussion). Level Bj/13 also shows a 233% increase in the elonga- Gorham’s Cave, Zafarraya Cave and Bajondillo Cave, such artefact tion index of flaked products: the number of elements of identified scarcity has been taken to reflect a sharp decline in their demog- blades and bladelets increases from 6% (Bj/14) to 14% (Bj/13)13. raphy towards the end of the Mousterian11,13,15. A sparse demogra- Such a shift is no accident. At Bj/13, coincident with a striking phy, coupled with a territorial model where populations did not increase in the number of blades and bladelets, blade and bladelet settle for long at any particular place, is postulated to account for cores and their specific rejuvenation flakes are documented for the the dearth of artefactual evidence from the earliest Iberian AMHs first time (Fig. 2, Supplementary Table 2 and Supplementary Fig. 4). at sites such as Foradada, Cendres, Mallaetes, La Boja and Pego do These novelties signal the end of a Middle Palaeolithic technological Diablo12,16,17. A second problem at Bj/13 is a lack of the tools tradition that lasted from ~160–46 cal ka bp. normally associated with the Aurignacian—a problem shared with Given the absence of transitional Middle Palaeolithic–Upper other Mediterranean sites. One last crucial issue in the context of Palaeolithic technocomplexes in southern Iberia, the techno- this paper is that, according to the most recent studies, the Early logical attribution of Bj/13 to the Aurignacian seems secure, Aurignacian is a stage of that is not clearly defined from but we were not able to distinguish whether Bj/13 corresponds technological and typological standpoints18,19.

208 Nature Ecology & Evolution | VOL 3 | FEBRUARY 2019 | 207–212 | www.nature.com/natecolevol Nature Ecology & Evolution Articles

Bj/14: Middle Palaeolithic/Mousterian of notches and denticulates Bj/13: Upper Palaeolithic/Aurignacian Bj/11: Upper Palaeolithic/Evolved Aurignacian

2 1 2

3

ools/typology 1 T

12 3 5

3 4 4 5 6

8 4 6 7 8 4 7 8 5 6 7 8 11

11 9 10 9 10 Production 11 12 89 10 11 13 14 15 12 13 14 15 16 Flakes Bladelets and blades Bladelets and blades Cores

13 16 17 12 14 15 18 17 18 Discoid and levallois Core for bladelets/blades rejuvenation Upper Palaeolithic-core flakes

Fig. 2 | Representative lithic industries from Bajondillo site archaeological levels Bj/14–Bj/11. From Bj/14 (Denticulate Mousterian, Middle Palaeolithic), we present images of a Mousterian point (1), scrapers (2–4 and 7), a denticulate (5), a Tayac point (6), Levallois flakes (8 and 9), a Levallois point (10), a with a natural back (11) and cores (12–15). From Bj/13 (Aurignacian, Proto/Early), we present a nosed end- (1), a borer (2), retouched flakes (3 and 8), a retouched blade (4), notches (5 and 6), core flanks (7 and 17), blades and bladelets (9–15), cores for bladelets (16) and a fragment of core (18). From Bj/11 (Evolved Aurignacian), we present end-scrapers (1–8), a retouched blade (9), burins (10 and 11), retouched bladelets (12–16) and cores (17 and 18). Scale bar: 2 cm.

The evidence that allows us to identify Bj/13 as Proto-Aurignacian never reaching 500 °C, whereas those from EUP levels (that is, Bj/12 or Early Aurignacian results from a combination of chronological onwards) exhibit a more efficient pyrotechnology, with frequent use and stratigraphic data, complemented by historiographic and tech- of wood, and temperatures well in excess of 550 °C20. nological data (Fig. 2 and Supplementary Fig. 4). Stratigraphically, At Bajondillo, all six of the new accelerator mass spectrom- Bj/13 is firmly set above a well-defined Middle Palaeolithic pack- etry (AMS) dates for the Mousterian from Bj/14 derive from age and overlaid by another Aurignacian level (Bj/11) lying below short-lived (<​5 years) shells of marine and terrestrial molluscs, a Gravettian deposit (Bj/10). The stratigraphic package is well and range between >​50 and 46 cal ka bp, the youngest ages being structured in sedimentological and micromorphological terms, and based on a Bayesian model (Supplementary Table 1; the pulmo- shows no inconsistency in the seriation of absolute dates indepen- nate samples derive from a garden snail taxon (Otala species) that dent of the long- or short-lived nature of the samples (see below). feeds on fresh vegetal matter and thus does not exhibit the ‘old- The range of dates obtained from the Bayesian model appears shell effect’). These dates calibrate this level to during or immedi- to be fully consistent with our hypothesis of the Bj/13 Aurignacian ately after Heinrich event 5 (Fig. 3). The date obtained on a mussel (43.4–40.0 cal ka bp) lying chronologically between Heinrich events from the latest Middle Palaeolithic level at the nearby Abrigo 3 5 (50–47 cal ka bp) and 4 (40.2–38.3 cal ka bp). However, techno- site, 20 km away from Bajondillo Cave on the Bay of Málaga, falls logically, level Bj/11 (~37.6–32.4 cal ka bp; Fig. 2 and Supplementary squarely within this range of dates (that is, 50–43.1 cal ka bp21; Table 1) corresponds to an Evolved Aurignacian with blade and Supplementary Fig. 2b). bladelet and the characteristic tools of this techno- Until recently, very late Middle Palaeolithic chronologies in complex. also testify to differences between the Middle southern Iberia were available for the sites of Carigüela (Granada), Palaeolithic and EUP. Hearths from Bj/16 and Bj/15 evidence an Zafarraya (Granada) and Gorham’s Cave (Gibraltar) (Fig. 1). exclusive use of grasses (Gramineae) as fuel, with temperatures Ongoing research by members of this team will put in question

Nature Ecology & Evolution | VOL 3 | FEBRUARY 2019 | 207–212 | www.nature.com/natecolevol 209 Articles Nature Ecology & Evolution

a 16 in Europe, the last-known evidence of Neanderthals is documented 6 14 at Spy () (41.0–39.3 cal ka bp) , while the Italian Uluzzian 9,10 12 disappears ~39.5 cal ka bp . SST (°C) 10 The oldest of the six AMS dates from Bj/13 (EUP) come from b long-lived taxa (sample charcoal/Ua-18270) (Supplementary Table –38 1), which, although coherent among these taxa, may yield ages older –40 –42 than the deposit from which they were retrieved. Samples for Bj/13 –44 that derive from short-lived (<5​ years) mussels and a terrestrial snail O NGRIP (‰) –46 18 (Otala species) provide a Bayesian median age set between 42.5 and δ c –70 41.2 cal ka bp (Fig. 3 and Supplementary Table 1). The taphonomic –80 features (that is, fragmentation and thermoalteration) of all marine –90 shells from Bj/13 document shellfish processing contemporane- level (m) Red Sea –100 ous with the deposit, reinforcing the autochthonous nature of the H5 H4 GI 8 GI 7 GI 6 GI12 GI11 GI10 –110 GI5.2 radiocarbon-dated samples, thus their reliability as chrono-indica- d tors. The dates available from Bj/14 and Bj/13 (which were derived CNA−3819.1.1 Bj/10 Gravettian from the middles of the layers, away from their common bound- Bj/11–Bj/10 boundary ary) show a potential discontinuity of ~2 kyr between these levels, CNA−3821.1.1 Bj/11 one of which requires further research to be confirmed (Fig. 3 and CNA−3820.1.1 Evolved Supplementary Table 1). The dates from Bj/13 coincide with others Aurignacian CNA−3878.1.1 from early Aurignacian sites in Europe (Fig. 1), such as the Italian CNA−3817.1.1 of Riparo Mochi, as well as sites from Central Europe 23 24 CNA−3883.1.1 (~43-42.5 cal ka bp) and (~43.5 cal ka bp) . Additionally, the most CNA−3876.1.1 recent Middle Palaeolithic/Upper Palaeolithic chronological review 25 26 Ua−18050 from the Cantabrian area (northern Spain) and Central Spain Ua−17150 yields essentially identical dates to those obtained at Bajondillo for Bj/13–Bj/11 boundary the Middle Palaeolithic–Upper Palaeolithic transition. In North Africa, Upper Palaeolithic/Later Stone appear in Cyrenaica after CNA−3218.1.2 Bj/13 Proto-Early ~43 ka (), but only after 30 ka in the Maghreb (Grotte CNA−3216.3.1 8,12,17,27–34

C samples Aurignacian des Pigeons) (Fig. 1) .

14 CNA−3873.1.1 The new Bajondillo dates are crucial for several reasons. First, CNA−3213.3.2 they confirm the presence of a chronologically early Aurignacian CNA−3882.1.2 in southern Iberia at ~43 cal ka bp that now shows the first appear- Bajondillo Bj/14–Bj/13 boundaryy ance of the EUP to be an essentially synchronous event throughout CNA−3211.1.1 Bj/14 Europe (Fig. 3 and Supplementary Fig. 3). This suggests that the dis- CNA−3881.1.1 Mousterian (Middle persal of AMHs was much faster than hitherto postulated, and the CNA−3875.1.1 Palaeolithic) expansion of the earliest in Europe is now increased CNA−3880.1.1 westwards by >1,000​ km. These dates thus call into question both the gradual ‘wave-of-advance’ and the ‘Ebro frontier’ models. They 50 45 40 35 30 also provide reference points for the attribution of early art work in cal ka BP Iberian —something that remains highly controversial35. The Fig. 3 | Comparison between the chronologies of the different dates suggest either extremely high mobility of early Aurignacians archaeological levels at Bajondillo Cave and a selection of or well-developed networks of interchange. For early AMHs, rapid palaeoenvironmental proxies. a, Mediterranean sea surface temperatures dispersal was seemingly only possible over essentially ‘empty’ terri- (SSTs) from Alboran Sea site ODP 977 (ref. 47) during Marine Isotope Stage tories (that is, either completely depopulated areas, as some studies 7 3. Blue bars show Heinrich events (H)48 and orange bars show Greenland suggest for southern Iberia at the time , or areas featuring severely 17 18 depleted human populations). Interstadials (GI) . b, δ​ O from the Greenland ice at the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) site at 20- intervals obtained from the NGRIP The Aurignacian early expansion took place between Heinrich Greenland Ice Core Chronology 2005 annual-layer-counted chronology49. events 5 and 4 (Fig. 3 and Supplementary Fig. 3), when cold and c, Red Sea relative sea-level fluctuations, with data smoothing of a 1 kyr steppic conditions prevailed throughout most of western Europe, 36 moving Gaussian filter (black line) and maximum probability (orange line)50. including the Iberian hinterland . In light of this, it might be no d, Calibrated radiocarbon dates from four archaeological levels of Bajondillo coincidence that a prevalence of European EUP sites has been Cave (see Supplementary Table 1). Age probability distributions are shown reported along shores or neighbouring lowlands where milder con- in grey. Probability distributions of the Bayesian-modelled ages are shown in ditions prevailed and more productive environments, in terms of living resources, existed (Fig. 1 and Supplementary Fig. 2c). The black, with the 2σ​ s.d. of the age uncertainty marked below and the median value as a vertical line on the s.d. bar. The durations of the different phases Aurignacian from Bajondillo Cave conforms with this pattern and (darker intervals in each level) were calculated using the median values of is not an isolated case in Iberia, where newly recorded Aurignacian 16 17 the Bayesian-modelled probability distribution for the boundaries. sites south of the Ebro river, such as Foradada , Cendres and Pego do Diabo12, are all located on the present-day coast or its adjoin- ing lowlands (Fig. 1), nor in (Riparo Mochi and Serino; see Supplementary Information). Coasts and coastal lowlands as the Carigüela dates, while Zafarraya has recently been reanal- instrumental for human dispersal and colonizing events are not a ysed, with its Middle Palaeolithic securely dated at >43​ cal ka bp22. phenomenon restricted to the European Aurignacian, since data Accordingly, the youngest Mousterian dates from Abrigo 3 and emerging from southern Arabia37, Australia38,39 and South America40 Zafarraya are ~43 cal ka bp, whereas for the Iberian Mediterranean all point in the same direction. In eastern and southern Iberia, trav- younger dates have been published for Cueva Antón (Murcia) elling through coasts and coastal lowlands would have been con- (>​37.1 cal ka bp12) and Gorham’s Cave (~32.5 cal ka bp11). Elsewhere siderably easier than travelling through one of the most rugged

210 Nature Ecology & Evolution | VOL 3 | FEBRUARY 2019 | 207–212 | www.nature.com/natecolevol Nature Ecology & Evolution Articles and mountainous hinterlands in Europe. The enhanced mobility laboratories (Ånström Laboratory at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, the of Aurignacian populations can be inferred from their swift spread Centro Nacional de Aceleradores in Spain and the Dating and Radiochemistry Laboratory of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain) via a selection of over western Europe from Glacial Interstadial 12 onwards, thus samples from thermo-altered and worked, chipped lithics and lithic industries hinting at dispersals taking place across territories that were easy to (thermoluminescence dating) and organic materials (14C/AMS). Whenever traverse (Supplementary Fig. 2a,b)1. possible, short-lived items from sealed contexts linked to human activities were The onset of the Aurignacian cannot be detached from the selected, such as terrestrial snail pulmonate samples. These specimens derive from demise of the Neanderthals. Inferences about the mobility and a garden snail taxon (Otala species) that feeds on fresh vegetal matter and thus does not exhibit any ‘old-shell effect’. To remove surficial contamination of recent settlement patterns of southern Iberian Neanderthals are compli- carbonates, all dated shells were subjected to mechanical cleaning of their surfaces, cated due to the restricted number of Mousterian sites, as well as as well as acid and base leaching. OxCal 4.3 software (https://c14.arch.ox.ac.uk/ the prevalence of low sea-level stands during this period, which oxcal.html) IntCal13 and Marine13 curves were used to calibrate charcoals and means that an undetermined, yet probably substantial, fraction marine shells44,45. We selected the 2σ​ (95.4%) probability distribution for age of the evidence presently lies underwater. From this perspective uncertainties, and local variation of the age was not applied to marine samples (see Supplementary Information for a detailed discussion). Subsequently, Bajondillo Cave is of great relevance since, due to its topogra- a Bayesian model was applied, using the same software, to constrain the different phy, it was at all times located on or very close to the shore (that events in our archaeological sequence (that is, the start and end of different phases). is, not more than 5 km distant; Supplementary Fig. 2a), but never This model performs a multi-parameter Bayesian analysis using a Markov chain flooded. The data from Bajondillo Cave and other coastal Iberian Monte Carlo approach. We also selected the 2σ​ (95.4%) probability distribution locations41 reveal that stasis, as exemplified by around 120 kyr14 of here. The obtained model agreement index (Amodel) and individual agreement index (Aoverall) were 91.4 and 93.4%, respectively, which improved the threshold values Neanderthal occupation with no clear traces of technological devel- (60%). To establish the boundary between the different archaeological phases, opments, prevailed during the Iberian Mousterian. Similar trends we selected the median probability of the 2σ​ phase-boundary modelled Bayesian are also documented—albeit in in a more restricted manner—at distribution. the Abrigo 3 (ref. 21) and Gorham’s Cave sites11. All constitute evi- Reporting Summary. Further information on research design is available in the dence that Neanderthals were settled along the coast well before Nature Research Reporting Summary linked to this article. the onset of the Aurignacian. Although the Bajondillo Cave dates do not indicate any coexistence of Neanderthals and Aurignacians, Data availability the fact that the Middle Palaeolithic ceases at around 45 cal ka bp The described archaeological collections are housed at Museo Arqueológico de (Supplementary Table 1) is also worth noting. Indeed, this date is Málaga, Spain. essentially synchronous with the cessation of Middle Palaeolithic levels from sites in the province of Málaga, both coastal (Abrigo 3)21 Received: 25 January 2018; Accepted: 15 November 2018; and inland (Zafarraya)22. The idea of a regional, as opposed to local, Published online: 21 January 2019 phenomenon seems compelling, as is the fact that (except for the two Bay of Málaga sites) Late Mousterian settlements are located References at a substantial altitude (that is, >​400 m). A putative preferential 1. Hublin, J. J. Te modern human colonization of western Eurasia: when and location of late Neanderthal sites on harsher and less productive where? Quat. Sci. Rev. 118, 194–210 (2015). habitats than the coastal zones where older Middle Palaeolithic sites 2. Bae, C. J. et al. On the origin of modern humans: Asian perspectives. Science occur and the earliest AMH sites are recorded hints at a scenario 358, eaai9067 (2017). 3. Banks, W. E. et al. by competitive exclusion. PLoS of competitive displacement of Neanderthals by AMHs. This com- ONE 3, e3972 (2008). plex issue is difficult to address when a substantial proportion of the 4. Stringer, C. et al. in Neanderthals and Moderns Humans in the European available evidence is circumstantial. In contrast, genetic data may Landscape During the Last Glaciation: Archaeological Results of the Stage 3 help confirm whether Neanderthal replacement was determined Project (eds van Andel, T. H. & Davies, W.) 233–240 (Univ. Cambridge, by competition, migration and random species drift or if, as also Cambridge, 2003). 5. Giaccio, B. et al. High-precision 14C and 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Campanian seems possible, AMHs and Neanderthal gene pools coalesced after Ignimbrite (Y-5) reconciles the time-scales of climatic-cultural processes at 42 episodes of introgression . However, it is notable that none of the 40 ka. Sci. Rep. 7, 45940 (2017). European late Neanderthal genomes sequenced so far shows evi- 6. Higham, T. et al. Te timing and spatiotemporal patterning of Neanderthal dence of interbreeding with AMHs43. disappearance. Nature 512, 306–309 (2014). Recent reviews highlighting the genetic complexities that under- 7. Bicho, N. et al. Early Upper colonization across Europe: time and mode of the Gravettian difusion. PLoS ONE 12, e0178506 (2017). lie AMH expansion in Eurasia tend to focus on data from Asia, and 8. Fu, Q. et al. Te genetic history of Europe. Nature 534, fail to consider the possibility that a crucial part of that evidence 200–205 (2016). may lie on the westernmost tip of the Mediterranean2. Given the 9. Peresani, M. et al. Te Uluzzian technology of Grotta di Fumane and its relevance of the palaeoanthropological and archaeological data that implication for reconstructing cultural dynamics in the Middle–Upper are slowly emerging from this region, further efforts to determine Palaeolithic transition of Western Eurasia. J. Hum. Evol. 91, 36–56 (2016). 10. Douka, K. et al. On the chronology of the Uluzzian. J. Hum. Evol. 68, whether coastal dispersals played a major role in the arrival of mod- 1–13 (2014). ern humans in the region are crucial. Given the growing evidence 11. Finlayson, C. et al. Late survival of Neanderthals at the southernmost that humans were also capable of crossing bodies of water before extreme of Europe. Nature 443, 850–853 (2006). 50 cal ka bp2, investigation into whether the Strait of Gibraltar 12. Zilhão, J. et al. Precise dating of the Middle-to- transition in Murcia (Spain) supports late Neandertal persistence in Iberia. Heliyon 3, played any role as a connector of European Neanderthals and North e00435 (2017). African AMHs is also a promising area of research. It is within this 13. Cortés-Sánchez, M. in Cueva Bajondillo (Torremolinos). Secuencia interpretative framework that the presence of an early Aurignacian cronocultural y paleoambiental del Cuaternario reciente en la Bahía de Málaga at Bajondillo Cave may bear wider implications for the origin of (ed. Cortés-Sánchez, M.) 93–138 (CEDMA, Málaga, 2007). Upper Palaeolithic industries and the appearance of AMHs in the 14. Cortés-Sánchez, M. et al. Earliest known use of marine resources by Neanderthals. PLoS ONE 6, e24026 (2011). European subcontinent than can be foreseen now. 15. Barroso Ruiz, C. & de Lumley, H. La grotte du Boquete de Zafarraya: Málaga, Andalousie (Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Cultura, Sevilla, 2006). Methods 16. Morales, J. I. et al. Expanding the geography of the Middle to Upper The cultural definition of the archaeological sequence at Bajondillo has been Palaeolithic transition: Foradada Cave (Calafell, Spain), a new site on the addressed from the technological standpoint of its lithic industries (materials Iberian Mediterranean coastline. Antiquity 351, 1–4 (2016). deposited in the Museum of Málaga)13. The ages of sedimentary fractions 17. Villaverde, V. et al. Te early Upper Palaeolithic of Cova de les Cendres from levels Bj/14–Bj/11 (Supplementary Table 1) were obtained from three (Alicante, Spain). Quat. Int. (in the press).

Nature Ecology & Evolution | VOL 3 | FEBRUARY 2019 | 207–212 | www.nature.com/natecolevol 211 Articles Nature Ecology & Evolution

18. Tafelmaier, Y. Technological Variability at the Beginning of the Aurignacian: 41. Haws, J. A. et al. Coastal wetlands and the Neanderthal settlement of Implications for the Proto- and Early Aurignacian Distinction (Neanderthal Portuguese Estremadura. Geoarchaeology 25, 709–744 (2010). Museum, Mettmann, 2017). 42. Kolodny, O. & Feldman, M. W. A parsimonious neutral model suggests 19. Bataille, G. et al. Living on the edge—a comparative approach for studying Neanderthal replacement was determined by migration and random species the beginning of the Aurignacian. Quat. Int. 474, 1–98 (2018). drif. Nat. Comm. 8, 1040 (2017). 20. Albert, R. in Cueva Bajondillo (Torremolinos). Secuencia cronocultural y 43. Mateja Hajdinjak et al. Reconstructing the genetic history of late paleoambiental del Cuaternario reciente en la Bahía de Málaga (ed. Neanderthals. Nature 555, 652–656 (2018). Cortés-Sánchez, M.) 491–500 (CEDMA, Málaga, 2007). 44. Reimer, P. J. et al. IntCal13 and Marine13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 21. Ramos Fernández, J. et al. Dating of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic 0–50,000 years cal bp. Radiocarbon 55, 1869–1887 (2013). transition at the Abrigo 3 del Humo (Málaga, Spain). Mainake XXXIII, 45. Ramsey, C. B. Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon 51, 275–284 (2012). 337–360 (2009). 22. Wood, R. E. et al. casts doubt on the late chronology of 46. Ehlers, J., Gibbard, P. L. & Hughes, P. D. Quaternary Glaciations—Extent and the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in southern Iberia. Proc. Natl Chronology: A Closer Look Vol. 15 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2011). Acad. Sci. USA 110, 2781–2786 (2013). 47. Martrat, B. et al. Four climate cycles of recurring deep and surface water 23. Douka, K. et al. A new chronostratigraphic framework for the Upper destabilizations on the Iberian Margin. Science 317, 502–507 (2007). Palaeolithic of Riparo Mochi (Italy). J. Hum. Evol. 62, 286–299 (2012). 48. Sanchez-Goñi, M. F. & Harrison, S. P. Millennial-scale climate variability and 24. Nigst, P. R. et al. settlement of Europe north of the vegetation changes during the Last Glacial: concepts and terminology. Quat. Alps occurred 43,500 years ago in a cold -type environment. Proc. Natl Sci. Rev. 29, 2823–2827 (2010). Acad. Sci. USA 111, 14394–14399 (2014). 49. Rasmussen, S. O. et al. A stratigraphic framework for abrupt climatic changes 25. Marin-Arroyo, A. et al. Chronological reassessment of the Middle to Upper during the based on three synchronized Greenland Paleolithic transition and Early Upper Paleolithic cultures in Cantabrian ice-core records: refning and extending the INTIMATE event stratigraphy. Spain. PLoS ONE 13, e0194708 (2018). Quat. Sci. Rev. 106, 14–28 (2014). 26. Wolf, D. et al. Climate deteriorations and Neanderthal demise in interior 50. Grant, K. M. et al. Rapid coupling between ice volume and polar temperature Iberia. Sci. Rep. 8, 7048 (2018). over the past 150,000 years. Nature 491, 744–747 (2012). 27. Wood, R. E. et al. Te chronology of the earliest Upper Palaeolithic in northern Iberia: new insights from L’Arbreda, Labeko Koba and La Viña. J. Hum. Evol. 69, 91–109 (2014). Acknowledgements 28. Higham, T. F. G. et al. Te earliest evidence for anatomically modern humans M.C.-S. was provided access by the Consejería de Cultura of the Junta de Andalucía in northwestern Europe. Nature 479, 521–524 (2011). (Spain) to analyse the Bajondillo Cave (UPPH/49/06). The research was sponsored 29. Zilhão, J. Pego do Diabo (Loures, ): dating the emergence of by grants HAR2013-44269-P and HAR 2016-77789-P from the Spanish Ministerio de anatomical modernity in westernmost Eurasia. PLoS ONE 5, Economía y Competitividad. A.G.-A. acknowledges a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (RYC- e8880 (2010). 2015-18966) of the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad). 30. Higham, T. F. G. et al. Testing models for the beginnings of the Aurignacian The research of C.S. is supported by the Calleva Foundation and Human Origins and the advent of fguratuve art and music: the radiocarbon chronology of Research Fund. The paper constitutes contributions from the HUM-949 Research Group Geißenklösterle. J. Hum. Evol. 62, 664–676 (2012). (Universidad de Sevilla, Spain) and ICArEHB (University of Algarve, Portugal). 31. Douka, K. et al. Te chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast ). J. Hum. Evol. 66, 39–63 (2014). Author contributions 32. Barton, R. N. E. et al. Rethinking the Human Revolution: New Behavioural and M.C.-S., F.J.J.-E., A.M.-M. and C.S. conceived and designed the experiments Biological Perspectives on the Origins and Dispersal of Modern Humans (eds and wrote the manuscript. All authors analysed the data. M.C.-S., M.D.S.-V., Mellars, P., Boyle, K., Bar-Yosef, O. & Stringer, C.) 177–186 (McDonald C.P.O. and J.A.R.-C. performed the archaeology and . A.M.-M. Institute, Cambridge, 2007). performed the archaeozoology. R.P.G., A.M.G. and F.J.J.-E. produced the figures and 33. Ramos, J. et al. Te Benzú rockshelter: a Middle Palaeolithic site on the palaeoreconstruction. A.G.-A. and N.O. performed the geochronology. M.C.L.F. and North African coast. Quat. Sci. Rev. 27, 2210–2218 (2008). J.L.V.P. performed the archaeomalacology. 34. Hublin, J.-J. et al. New from , and the pan- African origin of sapiens. Nature 546, 289–292 (2017). 35. Pearce, D. G. & Bonneau, A. Trouble on the dating scene. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 2, Competing interests 925–926 (2018). The authors declare no competing interests. 36. Burke, A. et al. Risky business: the impact of climate and climate variability on human population dynamics in Western Europe during the Last Glacial Additional information Maximum. Quat. Sci. Rev. 164, 217–229 (2017). Supplementary information is available for this paper at https://doi.org/10.1038/ 37. Groucutt, H. S. et al. Homo sapiens in Arabia by 85,000 years ago. Nat. Ecol. s41559-018-0753-6. Evol. 2, 800–809 (2018). 38. Clarkson, C. et al. Human occupation of northern by 65,000 years Reprints and permissions information is available at www.nature.com/reprints. ago. Nature 547, 306–310 (2017). Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to F.J.J. 39. Veth, P. et al. Early human occupation of a maritime desert, Barrow Island, Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in North-West Australia. Quat. Sci. Rev. 168, 19–29 (2017). published maps and institutional affiliations. 40. Llamas, B. et al. Ancient mitochondrial DNA provides high-resolution time scale of the peopling of the Americas. Sci. Adv. 2, e1501385 (2016). © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2018

212 Nature Ecology & Evolution | VOL 3 | FEBRUARY 2019 | 207–212 | www.nature.com/natecolevol nature research | reporting summary

Corresponding author(s): Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo

Reporting Summary Nature Research wishes to improve the reproducibility of the work that we publish. This form provides structure for consistency and transparency in reporting. For further information on Nature Research policies, see Authors & Referees and the Editorial Policy Checklist.

Statistical parameters When statistical analyses are reported, confirm that the following items are present in the relevant location (e.g. figure legend, table legend, main text, or Methods section). n/a Confirmed The exact sample size (n) for each experimental group/condition, given as a discrete number and unit of measurement An indication of whether measurements were taken from distinct samples or whether the same sample was measured repeatedly The statistical test(s) used AND whether they are one- or two-sided Only common tests should be described solely by name; describe more complex techniques in the Methods section. A description of all covariates tested A description of any assumptions or corrections, such as tests of normality and adjustment for multiple comparisons A full description of the statistics including central tendency (e.g. means) or other basic estimates (e.g. regression coefficient) AND variation (e.g. standard deviation) or associated estimates of uncertainty (e.g. confidence intervals)

For null hypothesis testing, the test statistic (e.g. F, t, r) with confidence intervals, effect sizes, degrees of freedom and P value noted Give P values as exact values whenever suitable.

For Bayesian analysis, information on the choice of priors and Markov chain Monte Carlo settings For hierarchical and complex designs, identification of the appropriate level for tests and full reporting of outcomes Estimates of effect sizes (e.g. Cohen's d, Pearson's r), indicating how they were calculated

Clearly defined error bars State explicitly what error bars represent (e.g. SD, SE, CI)

Our web collection on statistics for biologists may be useful.

Software and code Policy information about availability of computer code Data collection Authorized database: ASTER GDEM v2 Worldwide Elevation Data (1 arc-second Resolution) (https://gdex.cr.usgs.gov/gdex/); EMODnet Bathymetry data (7.5 arc-second Resolution) (http://portal.emodnet-bathymetry.eu/?menu=19); Alboran Sea bathymetry (100 m resolution) Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO)-Secretaría General de Pesca Marítima and Gibraltar Strait (25 m resolution) Sociedad Española de Estudios para la Comunicación Fija a través del estrecho de Gibraltar, SA (SECEGSA).

Data analysis Software Global Mapper v.16, Oxcal 4.3 software,

For manuscripts utilizing custom algorithms or software that are central to the research but not yet described in published literature, software must be made available to editors/reviewers upon request. We strongly encourage code deposition in a community repository (e.g. GitHub). See the Nature Research guidelines for submitting code & software for further information. April 2018

1 Data nature research | reporting summary Policy information about availability of data All manuscripts must include a data availability statement. This statement should provide the following information, where applicable: - Accession codes, unique identifiers, or web links for publicly available datasets - A list of figures that have associated raw data - A description of any restrictions on data availability

Described archaeological collections are housed at Museo Arqueológico de Málaga, Spain. Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Field-specific reporting Please select the best fit for your research. If you are not sure, read the appropriate sections before making your selection. Life sciences Behavioural & social sciences Ecological, evolutionary & environmental sciences For a reference copy of the document with all sections, see nature.com/authors/policies/ReportingSummary-flat.pdf

Ecological, evolutionary & environmental sciences study design All studies must disclose on these points even when the disclosure is negative. Study description Based on Bayesian analyses, a total of 26 radiocarbon dates, including 17 new ones, show that replacement at Bajondillo took place in the millennia centering on ~45-43 cal ka BP, well before the onset of Heinrich event 4 (~40.2 to 38.3 cal ka BP).

Research sample Different marine shells, Burnt and Carbonaceous/ash sediments.

Sampling strategy In archeological studies one or two radiocarbon dates are enough in order to obtain the age of one archeological level. In this studie we present a total of 26 radiocarbon ages, and key archeological levels has been dated by more than 4 radiocarbon dates and these performed at different laboratories and also used different methods.

Data collection Samples were collected by Dr. Miguel Cortes-Sanchez during archeological excavations.

Timing and spatial scale 49048 to 31540 yrs Cal BP from Bajondillo Cave, compared with South Iberian archeological sites.

Data exclusions Yes, we obtained one abnormal radiocarbon date not included in the manuscript, but can be included if necessary. Radiocarbon date correspond to archeological level Bj/13 and age obtained is 8.2 ka cal BP (samples details: Mytilidae; Laboratory code: CNA-3215.2.2; radiocarbon age 7631+42 Calibrated age 8253-7980). We interpretated that this matherial was contaminated by contact with present day radiocarbon matherial during sampling or laboratory treatments.

Reproducibility We include a detail figure that indicate where samples were taken with high resolution. Archeological samples and levels still present and a re-sampling is posible.

Randomization We perfomed analyses in different organism and matherials using different tecniques in order to get a robust chonological control.

Blinding We used three different blinded laboratories in order to obtain a robust age control and avoid single laboratory methodological byass. Sample selection tried to be equidistance along each archological level. Did the study involve field work? Yes No

Field work, collection and transport Field conditions Samples were taken during one month during summer.

Location 36.622694 N 4.496608 W Bajondillo Cave is a ca. 30 m long rock shelter that opens within a 30 m high travertine formation in the city of Torremolinos

Access and import/export Bajondillo Cave is located in a cliff and required scaffold and safety infraestructure. April 2018

Disturbance Five cubic meter of sediments were excaved

Reporting for specific materials, systems and methods

2 nature research | reporting summary

Materials & experimental systems Methods n/a Involved in the study n/a Involved in the study Unique biological materials ChIP-seq Antibodies Flow cytometry Eukaryotic cell lines MRI-based neuroimaging Palaeontology Animals and other organisms Human research participants

Palaeontology Specimen provenance The Bajondillo cave faunal analyses were allowed to one of the authors (MC-S) by the Consejería de Cultura of the Junta de Andalucía (Spain) (UPPH/49/06).

Specimen deposition Described archaeological collections are housed at Museo Arqueológico de Málaga, Spain

Dating methods Different faunal remains (marine shells) and charcoal fragments were selected from different archeological levels and preventing contamination from modern carbon (Radiocarbon dates) or light (thermoluminescence dates). A chemical pretreatment for Radiocarbon Dating samples acid-base-acid (ABA) was performed. Laboratory codes used were Ua: Ånström laboratory, University of Uppsala (Sweden); CNA: National Center for Accelerators (Spain); MAD: Dating and Radiochemistry Laboratory, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Radiocarbon has been calibrated using Oxcal 4.3 software (https://c14.arch.ox.ac.uk/ oxcal.html) along with Intcal13 and marine13 curves (Reimer et al., 2013; Ramsey, 2009). The local variation of the reservoir age, estimated from recent samples, in the westernmost Mediterranean is 280+36 yr (Siani et al., 2000). However, it is not applied to the calibration of marine samples from Bajondillo site because this value is unknown for the Mediterranean Sea during from 50 to 20 ky (glacial period), and apply the present reservoir effect have a nil effect on the obtained calibrated values. Tick this box to confirm that the raw and calibrated dates are available in the paper or in Supplementary Information. April 2018

3